Walking through Rangerhood
by harbors
Summary: Kate is new to Almia, as well as the Ranger School. Her adventures through Ranger School and becoming a Ranger are some to be remembered. Rating subject to change. A whole bucket load of Vatonageshipping [KatexKeith] and some RhythmixIsaac also. Reviews are welcome!
1. Forming Friendships

"Rather than introducing yourself to me, you should introduce yourself to the class." Ms. April, my new teacher, gazed at me with slight curiosity. I looked out to what was to be my new classmates – three girls and two boys – to be met with whispers of their own piqued interest. I locked eyes with one of the boys; a fiery redhead with golden brown eyes. He smirked at me, and in an effort to keep my face from catching on fire, I looked away.

"I'm Kate…" I said, feeling the heat rush to my face. In my peripheral vision, I could see the redhead's smirk becoming much more evident. "I want to be a Ranger." I stated simply, looking back to Ms. April. I'm sure my face was bright red, and she smiled lightly at me. "So, our new friend's name is Kate…" she said softly, turning to the class. There was a slight pause, the students soaking up the information, before Ms. April spoke up again. "I understand she scored quite well on the entrance exam." In hearing this, I looked up in surprise. She wasn't looking at me, instead her gaze pointing again to the redhead. "Why the big grin, Keith?" She asked, amused. I'd seen the smirk transform into a huge grin, though at Ms. April's words, it subsided quickly. There was some gentle laughter that came from the rest of the students.

Ms. April motioned for me to take the seat next to him, the redhead, Keith. I could feel the eyes of the class on me as I slid into the rather comfortable chair. Ms. April waited for me to get comfortable before speaking up again. The words that came out of her mouth were cut off by harsh whispers coming from my right.

"Hey, new kid. You want to be a Ranger as well?" I avoided looking at him. "I just want you to know now, you have some competition. I'm gonna be a Ranger too, and a good one at that!" Ms. April glared at him as she walked by, giving me what I presumed to be a Capture Styler. Ms. April went on telling me about its functions, and I could hear Keith yawn in the background. Ms. April scolded him quickly. Afterwards, she assigned a blonde-haired green-eyed girl to be my guide around the school, and made the day a free day. As soon as Ms. April walked out, everyone took it as a cue to come circle around me. It made me a little uncomfortable at first, then Keith chose to speak up.

"So, new kid, I've forgotten your name already," I glared at him, "but how long did it take you to capture the Pikachu? Like an hour?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Thirty seconds." I responded, unamused. He looked at me, surprised. The blonde girl assigned to be my guide looked at me.

"I'm Rhythmi, and don't listen to Keith, he's just a show-off. Instead, you should be listening to me!" She laughed lightly. "Anyways, I'm here to be an Operator, so when Keith becomes a Ranger, I can boss him around like my slave!" At this, I giggled. I've only known this girl ten minutes, and already I like her sense of humor. She giggled with me, and Keith protested only slightly.

Rhythmi went on to show me around the school on her tour of "Wonder and Excitement!" There, we met Isaac, the boy genius, Ponte, the conflicted marshmallow boy, and Mr. Kincaid, who at first glance I could tell was quite vain. He was the only person I'd met by far who I was feeling uneasy about, though I didn't disclose my feelings with my new friends. Keith turned out to be alright too, even when he gloated about befriending five of the rampaging Bidoof while I'd befriended four after Rhythmi showed me around the schoolyard as well. He sheepishly admitted he'd known my name the entire time, and Rhythmi's only response was "You're slick, Keith."

"You're taking her to Ascension Square? Then I'll go too." Keith said when Rhythmi mentioned there was a place she had yet to show me. I followed their lead, and soon enough we found ourselves near a pier with a large statue that had been dubbed "the Pledge Stone." I'd forgotten the school was on an island, but the ocean view intrigued me more than the statue itself. Rhythmi and Keith followed me out to the pier, Keith mentioning something about being able to see the Haruba Desert from there. Though we shortly heard the school bells ringing in the background, my heart was racing as I realized that these two people were to be my best friends at Ranger School.

We raced back, smiling and laughing. Though I'd only known them that day, I felt as though the three of us formed a strong connection down there. Even if it were only looking off of a pier.


	2. Late night walks

_Author's Note: Pardon me if "Nadya" shows up anywhere in here. I'm playing the game as well to remind myself of the storyline, and I named my Ranger that. I'm sure I'll get it fixed [hopefully] before anyone notices, ahaha._

* * *

Though the school forbade sneaking out of the dorms at night, I couldn't think of a single person who hadn't done so, including the teachers. If we were caught, Janice would scold us and tell our teacher in the morning, who would in turn give out punishment. Most of the time, it was just detention though. Other times, it would be menial work, like raking the schoolyard or doing the laundry for your dorm for a week.

The "Initiation Ceremony" proposed to me my first night of being a Ranger School student was just the beginning of what turned into a bad habit.

Keith and I had walked around, looking for his own, Rhythmi, and two other students' stylers. It was then I'd learned that Keith was "not afraid of the dark, but more afraid of what's in it." Though I didn't blame him, I'd found it really funny to see him turn pale and scream like a girl at the sight of a Bidoof.

"Kate, if you tell anyone, I will end your Ranger career as soon as it starts." He'd told me. He wasn't too fond of Gastly either.

After that, I took to sauntering out to Ascension Square on a mostly nightly basis, simply to sit and look up at the stars. Most nights, I'd be back before anyone would notice I wasn't in bed, but every now and then I'd walk into the dorm to find a startled Rhythmi. There was even one time, I came back to see Rhythmi opening the door to enter the dorm herself. She said to me that she'd only gone for a short walk to look for me, but when I gave her a look she fessed up.

"I went to the Boys' Dorm." She admitted. "It's nice to get some… alone time."

"In the Boys' Dorm?" She looked at me, her eyes indicating a sarcastic tone.

"I wanted alone time with a _certain someone._" She said. "Plus, you're back from your nightwalking, so we can talk about this in the morning."

:lll:

One of the more recent nights I went out for a stroll, I walked down to Ascension Square and quickly sat, looking to the stars. I had yet to receive another letter from my sister, which didn't surprise me. Sending letters to Fiore took some time, most of all in travel. I sighed, leaning back to grasp the grass underneath my hands. I didn't understand what it was about looking out to sea that comforted me, and I didn't really care to know. It was nice having the gentle breeze touch my face-.

"So this is where you've been." A gentle voice shook me from my thoughts rather violently. Had it been Mr. Kincaid, or Ms. April, I might've just jumped into the water. Instead, I recognized it immediately.

I turned to see Keith, calmly walking towards me. He was haphazardly dressed, and I was a little embarrassed to only be in the standard issue nightclothes.

"What brings you out here?" I asked him.

"Rhythmi came into the dorm. She looked kind of panicky and said you've been gone longer than usual. So me, being the other Ranger-in-training at this school, was asked to come look for you." He shrugged. "I'm not sure why she's chosen now to come tell me about this…" I was a little confused, as I hadn't been out for very long at all. I wondered what Rhythmi was thinking…

"Wait, she came into the dorm? Did she wake you up?" Keith shook his head.

"No, it was just her… walking around… that woke me up…" His expression was almost new to me, a mix of infuriation and him asking himself why he didn't catch onto this sooner. I wasn't expecting he'd catch on to the motive behind Rhythmi's nightly trips so quickly. He sighed.

"Well, I hope they're at least enjoying each other." I mentioned quietly.

"…" He remained silent for a few moments. "Say, let's stay out awhile. We might get caught, but you could call it payback for duping me into believing you've gone missing." He smirked, and I laughed at his ridiculous expression.

"I'm fine with that, though if we fall asleep out here, we'd best say goodbye to any free time!"

:lll:

"Say, Katie…" I looked at him. Only my family called me Katie, but I didn't really mind. "Can I call you that? Katie? I promise it'll only be in private." I shrugged. It didn't really matter to me. "Alright, Katie… What's your last name?"

"My what?"

"Your last name! Haven't you noticed, everyone is called only by their first name here? Heh, I guess it could be considered private information… But how about this!" I looked at him suspiciously. If he wanted to know that badly, I could just tell him… "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours!" I sighed.

"Hitomi. My last name is Hitomi. In Fiore, the only thing anyone ever called me was Hitomi." I smiled lightly. "I preferred it, I guess." Keith looked a little surprised.

"I was given 'Dazzle' for a last name. It's not much to compare to something like 'Hitomi,' but, ah," he posed, while sitting, with both hands on his hips, "I think it suits me." I laughed, and he smiled. "Dazzle and Hitomi. We're fit for saving the world with these kinds of names!" He stood up, and extended a hand to help me up. I accepted it. "Top Ranger Kate Hitomi saves island from destruction by large ship! Almia Ranger School forever in her debt," Keith dramatically said, mimicking a tidal wave with his hands. I laughed, pausing to think of one myself.

"… Top Ranger Keith Dazzle faces big boss on top of tower! Dramatic showdown leaves Almia breathless!" I did my best to copy his Ranger pose, but settled for a halfway decent backhand spring in place of his usual backflip. He laughed at my attempt, and picked me up off of the ground when I'd fallen backwards. We leaned on each other for support, as we couldn't keep ourselves upright on our own.

Even as we tried standing out our own, we slowly made our way back down to the ground anyway. And even after we stopped laughing, we must have stayed there for at least three hours, talking about everything from Pokémon to back home in Fiore. We'd broached the subject of our current Top Rangers, and how Oblivia would be a nice region to visit. It meant more to me that he was willing to lay there with me, and lay there for hours, with me, the stars, and the school Pokémon who happen to be awake during the night as witness. Not once did I think about Rhythmi, and not once did I think about what would happen if we were caught.

Even as Principal Lamont watched us walk in the door of the Ranger School, his eyes twinking with his usual charm and happiness.


	3. Meeting a real Ranger

_Author's Note: This feels like a filler chapter to me. I'm working on a big paper right now in school, so there may be a delay._

* * *

"Guess what! Katie! Katie, guess what!" I growled in annoyance at Keith's upbeat manner. His smile was very wide, and the happiness gushing off of him was enough to pound Rhythmi's normal cheer and optimism into the ground.

"What is it, Keith? I'm just _dying_ to know." Apparently, my sarcasm wasn't enough to dampen Keith's mood any.

"How could you forget? It's Outdoor Class!" He whipped out a piece of paper decorated in his messy scrawl. "I even wrote 38 questions to ask to the Ranger!"

"Is 38 really a necessary number…?"

"Absolutely!" With that, Rhythmi and some others walked into the class, along with Ms. April. She had gone up to the blackboard, and Keith proceeded to tell Rhythmi of his endeavor. I was more tired than usual, and while it would be nice to see a real Ranger do their Ranger-y things, I would have rather slept. Keith seemed so excited about it though, so I didn't think to miss it.

:lll:

As an entire school, we made our way down to Ascension Square to find a _hot a what_ Ranger. Sure, he was a little dirty, he was kind of gangly, and his hair was in complete disarray, but my heart began racing pretty fast. Rhythmi must have noticed I was breathing a little harder than normal, and she gave me a look. I simply smiled at her, but whatever question I had for that Ranger I forgot right then and there.

"This is Crawford. He's a graduate of this Ranger School, and now he's a Pokémon Ranger in Vientown." Principal Lamont introduced. The Ranger – Crawford – flashed a smile at us.

"I'm Crawford! It's nice to meet you, everyone!" a response of "Thank you for coming!" was given to him in unison as a little Budew appeared out of almost nowhere. "This is my Partner Pokémon, Budew." The Budew jumped happily, and a Cherubi, Bellossom, Combee and Swellow appeared alongside it. He gestured to each of them. "These are all of my Friend Pokémon!"

"This is so neat…" I could hear Keith mumbling to himself beside me. I giggled.

"Crawford! It's been a long time!" The class turned to face Ms. April. "But that giant explosion of an afro…" She made an indecisive face, "I think I liked your hairstyle the way it was before." She laughed lightly, "It makes me nervous to see that kind of jumbled-up outgrowth of anything." Crawford simply smiled at her and patted his head. Ms. April went on to introduce the Question-and-Answer Session of Terror to the students.

The first to speak was a male student from Mr. Kincaid's class. If my memory served me right, his name was Alexander and he wanted to be an Operator.

"Crawford, why did you decide to become a Ranger?" he asked.

"Well, it's because I love Pokémon. I wanted to become friends with them. You know, to bond with them." Along with words, he was speaking with his hands. "Besides, it's a cool job!" Alexander smiled.

"Thank you!" Another few students asked questions before Rhythmi made a brave move and jumped in.

"Oh! I have a question! There isn't anything I'd rather do than become an Operator. Do you think I can become one? You can tell, right?" Crawford had a look of confusion on his face.

"Well, I'm only seeing you for the first time ever, so it's not like I know, but…" He assumed a more confident pose. "Sure thing! No problemo! You'll be an Operator all right!" Rhythmi took a moment to revel in Crawford's conclusion, saying "Those were the words I wanted to hear!" and similar things to herself. I giggled at her silliness.

"Rhythmi… Don't you think you're mistaking our Ranger for a fortune-teller or something?" Keith's voice spoke out. I turned to him, and he moved to face Crawford. "Excuse me, Ranger. What about me? Do you think I'll become a Ranger?"

"Say, aren't you confusing me with a fortune-teller now, too?" The entire class laughed at the question, though Keith didn't appear embarrassed at all. "Well… I can say this – your strong will shines through loud and proud. I'm sure youll make it." He paused a moment. "Why, you might even have the fixings to be a better Ranger than me! But only if you can, ah… avoid spinning your wheels, so to speak."

"Uh… is that right…?!" Keith appeared dumbfounded for only a moment. "I'll do the best I can!" Before he could butt in with a second question, another girl called him out, saying it were only fair to have one question each. Her name was Natalie, and she, also in Kincaid's class, wanted to become an Operator as well. Keith rolled his eyes at her.

"Have you made any mistakes?"

"Mistakes? That's all it was when I started! Like the time I dumped juice all over my Styler, that was nasty. Or the time I tried to capture a stuffed toy, or when I put my Ranger Uniform on over my pajamas…" It took him a few moments to flush with embarrassment, and he quickly put up his hands in defense. "Hey now, don't make me say these kinds of things!" The class laughed at his expense.

"Has Ms. April ever been angry with you?" A girl from your class, Jordan, asked this.

"Oh, all the time! She'd blow up with me at least once a day." Ms. April laughed a little.

"Now, you know that isn't true." She took a few steps forward, smiling only slightly. "It was at least three times a day, not once." Her smile widened. "But that isn't the full story, he was a wonderful student, and his humor kept the class going and everyone's spirits high!" I'd only begun to remember my question when quickly his Capture Styler began ringing out, a deep voice saying "Voicemail, Voicemail!" Crawford's face went from relaxed to serious in a flash, and his Styler proceeded to tell him there was a Mantine that had been hit by a cargo ship near the school harbor. He was to meet with a certain Luana to go rescue this Mantine.

Most of the boys uttered "So cool…" While the most I could say was "Please save the Mantine!"

And it seemed that just as fast as he had come, he was gone off to rescue a Mantine. After he'd left, Keith looked at Rhythmi and I.

"I had 37 more questions, but I think I'm going to find out the answers to them myself. And Kate, you'll be able to help me!" He grinned. "Even if we are rivals. Some of my questions involved multiple people." I giggled. Rhythmi was still basking in her glory.

"A real Ranger guaranteed I would become an Operator!" Keith shook his head.

"There aren't any guarantees anywhere, you've got to grab a hold of your dreams and take them where you want to go!"

"Don't you think I know that?" She responded, slightly irate. "I'm going to do it. I'm going to make my dream come true!" Keith looked to the Pledge Stone, then to Rhythmi and I.

"Let's do it, right here, right now. Make a pledge by the Pledge Stone, to never give up on our dreams and make them come true!"

"Yeah! Let's do it! And you, Kate?"

"Of course! There's nothing I'd rather do than prove to everyone that I have what it takes to become a Pokémon Ranger!" I surprised myself with how strong and clear my words were. It's almost like I'd been inspired by the short show Ranger Crawford had put on for us.'

That night, I couldn't sleep. The only thing on my mind now was the day we would be assigned to a Ranger Base. The day we'd all really make our dreams come true. It was so close to us, yet so far away.


	4. Ranger for a day

_Author's Note: Thank you so much pikachu0311 for reviewing! I saw the e-mail in my inbox and I had to excuse myself from class so I didn't disrupt everyone with my cackling..._

_Also, longer chapter warning. I'm splitting this between two chapters and this one is still pretty long._

* * *

"Today's the day we go on our One-Day Internships, isn't it." I said aloud, mostly to myself. Rhythmi heard me, and cheerily responded.

"Yep! I'm off as soon as Ms. April will let me leave. Not only is the walk long, but I want to make a good impression!" Rhythmi exclaimed. She sounded excited, and I myself was excited too. Keith and I were the only two at the school training to become Rangers, so we'd only have to make the short trip to the Vientown Ranger Base rather than go all the way to the Ranger Union.

It didn't take long before Ms. April and Mr. Kincaid sent us off, Rhythmi leaving immediately and Keith and I waiting momentarily to gather our things, along with all the other students. Slowly, they trickled out, and Keith and I left while most were still in the room.

"I'm really excited!" Keith exclaimed as soon as we were outside of the gate. "I mean, this is it! We're almost completely finished with Ranger School, and for a day we'll get to be actual Rangers in an actual Ranger Base!" I agreed with him completely, but his words began going into one ear and out the other, and before we were even across the bridge, a small blonde girl stopped us, asking if we'd seen her brother.

"... Well, sweetie, who is your brother?" Having a little sister myself, it was easy to get on her level and try to make her feel comfortable. She didn't answer me right away, and within seconds we heard Isaac's surprised noises and "Melody, what are you doing?"

"I wanted to come see you!" The little girl, Melody, exclaimed happily. Isaac looked concerned.

"Melody, you aren't supposed to leave Pueltown by yourself! You could get hurt, or worse!" She looked guilty for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Isaac. I just wanted to see you..." She looked down, absolutely dejected. I looked up to Keith, who raised his eyebrow at me. Isaac sighed.

"It's alright, Melody. At least you made it here safely." He turned to Keith and I. "Plus, I can introduce you to my friends! That's Kate," he said, pointing to me. I smiled at Melody, "and this is Keith!" Keith smiled some as well. "They're here to become Rangers!"

"It's nice to meet you!" She said, seemingly gleaming. Isaac smiled at us, and we responded to her remarks kindly.

"Well, it'll be a bit of a walk. We should probably get going, Melody." He grabbed her hand, and the two set off, but not before saying goodbye to Keith and I. I smiled at their backs, and watched Isaac's... doting manner.

"You know," I said to Keith, quietly, "if Isaac dotes on her this much..." I looked up at him, "why haven't I heard anything about Melody?" He sighed.

"She's all he'll talk about when he's in the dorm." I nodded slightly, nudging him to begin our walk again. We made our way to Vientown with minimal conversation, aside from my seeking words of comfort as we approached the Ranger Base.

"... Keith." I said.

"Hmm?"

"... I'm shaking." He looked at me, grabbing my wrist as I held it out to him. He looked surprised. I didn't understand how he could seem so calm and cool when I was nervous to the point I wanted to faint.

"You'll be alright, I'm sure! Everything's going to be fine!" His cheer didn't help me at all, but only because his voice shook slightly as well. I took a deep breath, and mustered up my courage, and walked through the door. Keith and I looked around, but the Base was empty. We weren't expecting this at all.

"H-Hello? Is anyone here?" I asked, looking to Keith.

"We're from the Ranger School, for one-day internships!" A friendly-looking Operator appeared behind the desk in the corner, quickly apologizing for not noticing us walking through the door.

"Everyone had to go out on a _really_ important mission, and they've left me with this parcel!" She grabbed something off of the floor and handed it to Keith. From the look on his face, I'm guessing it was somewhat heavy. "And they've left me a note, saying to never tip it upside down and to not shake it hard!" Her disposition was also cheery. "Also, they've said to meet them up on Breeze Hill, which is just past Nabiki Beach!" We thanked the Operator, and left the Base with haste.

"… How much do you want to bet this is lunch?" I snorted unattractively.

"It probably is their lunch, but maybe we'll get to eat some of it if we're snappy about getting there…"

"Did you really just say snappy?"

The walk to Breeze Hill was short, but as Keith and I walked up the steps to see the Rangers, my heartbeat ran faster and faster. Keith looked back at me, and I got from the look on his face that the state he was in wasn't much better than my own. I gulped.

We took our steps in front of a red-checkered tablecloth that was neatly unfolded on the ground. No one seemed to notice us, which was surprising considering my heart was thumping very loudly.

"H-Hellomeetcha!" Keith exclaimed. It took me a second to process that what he had said wasn't a real word, and with all of the real Rangers, that second was taken to turn in surprise and look at us. I could feel the heat coming to my face already.

"Did you just say 'Hellomeetcha?'?" I asked him quietly.

"Mention this to anyone and I will push you off of this cliff." He answered.

"Well, I can see you're nervous. It's alright, just relax." I recognized this heavyset muscular man's voice immediately – it was the one who had told Crawford to set out to sea to rescue a Mantine. Keith and I both laughed nervously. Crawford saw our faces and grinned at us.

"Oh! It's me, Crawford! Remember, from Outdoor Class? Again, I apologize for cutting that short!" I waved to him.

"Oh, are we introducing ourselves now? Well, in that case, I'm Luana!" A shorter, dark-haired girl next to Crawford smiled. "I graduated only last year, so I remember this feeling fairly well!" A Buneary slept beside her.

"I'm Barlow, and this is my partner. Makuhita." The heavyset man smiled at us as well.

"Lastly, I'm Elaine. I'm not a Ranger, but instead, Vientown's local Mechanic! It's nice to meet you!"

"You as well!" Keith responded. Barlow eyed the parcel suspiciously.

"Well, it looks like lunch is here!" Keith turned to me, mouthing 'called it' as he gingerly set the parcel down on the tablecloth. Crawford moved to unfold it, and Keith nudged me. There was a huge amount of food! The Rangers (and Elaine) paused to laugh at the expressions on our faces, but only for a moment before Barlow announced to the group to eat up. Keith and I both grabbed for sandwiches, and after exchanging a glance, we laughed too.

:lll:

Keith had quickly struck up a conversation with Elaine about the functionality of a school Styler, leaving me to wander around our temporary lunch sight for the while we were there. I'd decided to saunter over to Crawford and sit next to him. In the time since Outdoor Class, I had noticed that he didn't seem nearly as gangly and dirty as I had previously thought. The possibility lingered that I'd also gotten taller since then.

"Ah! Kate! What brings you over to my side of the hill, trainee?" I looked at him semi-awkwardly. I had mainly walked over there to sit next to him in hopes that he would talk to me.

"Well… um…" I paused, trying to think of a good excuse, "I've uh… heard your jokes are pretty stellar and was wondering if you could tell me some of them?" Truthfully, I knew nothing about Crawford that Ms. April hadn't already told us. Nevertheless, my ploy worked. He beamed.

"Really? Wow, had I known, I would've prepared a really good one. This one's kind of lame, but uh… What's red and invisible?" I stopped and thought for a moment, sitting down. _Red and invisible? Red… invisible…_

"A camouflaged towel…?"

"No tomatoes!" I stopped to think about it for a moment, before laughing at the simplicity of it. Crawford appeared happy with my reaction. "I'm sorry it's kind of lame, but I vested all of my joking power into yesterday's edition of the Vien Tribune! Had you come a day earlier, I'd've told you my best jokes for hours!" His laugh was concise and hearty. I smiled at him. "Say, where are you from, Kate?"

"I moved here from Fiore not too long ago. Heh, Almia's Ranger School is known for producing really good Rangers, so…" I reached out to stretch my arms, "I decided that if I wanted to be the best, I should train with the best. Plus, my parents are moving out here, and they should be out here by the time I graduate anyways!" Crawford nodded, appearing somewhat impressed.

"Gee, Kate, you're a real chatterbox. What are you talking about over here?" Crawford beckoned Keith with his head, and I jumped about five feet. I hadn't heard him approaching or anything.

"Kate here was just telling me how she ended up in Almia!" Crawford cheerfully replied. Keith would have responded, though before he could get a word in edgeways, a frantic boy rushed right up to Luana, saying that Pokémon have surrounded his girlfriend.

The entire lunch party rushed down to the beach to find five Pokémon encircling a girl. Quickly, Barlow took the lead, and told the other two Rangers to focus on the capture of the Pokémon.

"Kate, Keith, now's your time to shine! Catch one of the Pokémon! Crawford and I will take care of the Shellos…" Now, I actually took a good look at the Pokémon – there were two Shellos, a Munchlax, a Starly, and a Pachirisu.

"Katie, weren't those the Pokémon we saw on the way up?" Keith asked quietly. I nodded – we had seen them on the way up to the hill. They were with a gentle old man who was quietly talking to them. Keith and I had paid no attention, and now they were circling some random girl…

I ran into the three, choosing to capture the Pachirisu. Keith went after the Starly, and Luana went after the Munchlax. It didn't take much to capture the little thing, and it was surely a shame to see it have to go.

Once I'd released the Pachirisu, I looked to Keith, Luana, and the others. Everyone was staring at me as though I'd forgotten something. Everyone had been successful in their captures.

"Uh, Kate… You learned how to release Pokémon, right?"

"Yes, I did… I released the Pachirisu already though-." I looked at my feet to see the Pachirisu looking expectantly up at my face. It nuzzled my legs.

I was incredibly surprised.

"I think it likes you…" someone commented. I didn't care to know who, but I was a mix of embarrassed and confused.

"Alright, now that this strange event is over… We'll clean up lunch. You two head on back to the Base, and we'll see you off when the time comes!" Barlow said. "Also, don't forget to tell that Pachirisu goodbye before you go back to the school, Kate." I nodded.

:lll:

We'd received hugs, handshakes and milk pudding from everyone before we had to leave the Ranger Base. The Pachirisu had stuck by me the entire time, and everyone in the Base shared at least one story of when they had first become a Ranger.

Then, that time came: the dreadful time where we had to leave. It was awful, but at the same time, it was almost a relief to know I'd be going back to my temporary home and all of its accoutrements.

"Well, you two, stay safe. No detours, and be sure to release that Pachirisu, Kate!" Barlow teased.

"We'll meet again! And hopefully, soon!" Crawford added.

"Have fun! Tell your friends all about it!" Elaine said.

"Bye! I'm looking forward to working with you both!" Luana exclaimed. We said our final goodbyes and headed on the short trek home.

"… I think we're probably going to be the last ones to get back." Keith said, remarking on the color of the sky. Considering how dark it was out, I wouldn't have been surprised at all if that were the case.

"At least we'll probably have the most stories to tell. Even though Rhythmi got to watch those Top Operators…" I giggled.

We spent most of the time in comfortable silence, until we reached the halfway point on the bridge. I turned to the Pachirisu – it seemed to understand me, and I didn't need to say a word.

"It's a shame to see the little guy go. Though, we'll see him again. I'm sure of it." Keith said as the Pachirisu began the walk down the bridge. I stood still until I couldn't see it, and then I lingered a little longer. Keith tried to get me to walk, but to no avail. "Katie, we've got to get to everyone. We have to shove it in Rhythmi's face that we've captured Pokémon in front of real-life Rangers!"

"You know, I've been trying to avoid thinking about graduation. Today's the first day that it's been the only thing on my mind." I said.

"Where did that come from…?"Keith mumbled to himself. We stood there in silence for a few minutes before he tugged at my arm. "Katie, we've really got to go."

This time, I decided to walk with him. It didn't take long to reach the gate, but it was bothering me. I couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like when I became a real Pokémon Ranger.


	5. Afterwards

_Author's Note: Wowee, it's late. I need to sleep, ahahah._

* * *

While the steps up to the Ranger School seemed to be an eternity, up to the dorms was even worse. It wasn't that I was feeling sluggish; it was just that I wanted to be done with the day and go to bed. However, the mounds of teenagers on beanbags and in chairs in the lobby of the dorms prevented that-. Wait, what?

I stopped to look again at the lobby in the dorm. Sure enough, every member of our classes but Keith and I were sitting in front of a large-screen TV, with a few looking back at Keith and I. Isaac appeared to be trying to get everyone to select a movie, and had just noticed us walk in.

"Keith, Kate! You're here!" He exclaimed.

"Wow, it only took you all day to get here! We've already made it through one movie!" Rhythmi teased. Keith laughed.

"Sorry, we were busy impressing Rangers with our insane capture skills!" For a show, Keith performed his Ranger pose right then.

"What's going on? Is this some party we weren't invited to?" I asked. Rhythmi waved me off.

"No, Janice is allowing us to have a big movie night! Like…" She turned to Isaac, who in turn held up more movies. "Isaac's expedites with Altru and going back home for a day means he has all these movies, and it took some convincing, but…" She smiled in self-appreciation. "Janice is letting us all be out here tonight." I grinned widely. "Only problem is, we have one beanbag left. Meaning…" she giggled some. "You are Keith will have to share one!" I looked at him, and shrugged.

"Let me get changed. I'm fine with that." He said. I nodded my head in agreement, slipping into the empty dorm room and peeling off my uniform and putting on more suitable clothes for movie viewing. When I came back out to the lobby, a DVD menu was present, and there was a large empty beanbag – presumably the only one Rhythmi was talking about.

I went to sit in it comfortably, but my efforts were sabotaged by Keith jumping into the beanbag with all of his force. I laughed at him, which was returned with a displeased look. He sprawled out to stretch and make himself comfortable, then moved over so there was enough space for another person. My face flushed.

In order to fit another person onto the beanbag, they'd have to be leaning up against each other.

"Come on, Kate. The beanbag is fine." He said, rubbing the beanbag in a seductive manner. Again, I laughed. This was Keith; I had nothing to be embarrassed about. So, I stepped on the beanbag, and sat next to him. Gently, he wrapped his arm around me as the movie began. I remained rigid, rather than lean into him.

"Katie, I don't bite. It's okay to snuggle up." He teased quietly, trying to pull me in. Again, my face flushed, but this time I complied. Focusing on what was playing on the screen was semi difficult, with Keith stroking my hair and my head close enough to his chest to practically hear his heartbeat. I had a feeling it was just as fast as mine.

"I'm glad I met you."

At some point during the movie, he whispered in my ear and kissed me on the cheek. Had I not been so nervous, I would've kissed him right back.


	6. Graduation

_Author's Note: sighs why did I choose writing as a hobby_

_Also, I managed to get a sunburn, and now it's going to rain for a few weeks. And this is the last Ranger School chapter._

_And thank you to pikachu0311 and SuperHoundoom for reviewing!_

* * *

As Keith and I were discussing how cool it would be to surf on a Mantine's back, Ms. April quietly placed envelopes on our desks. It was the Graduation Day, and when I saw the somber look on her face, I realized that these would be telling us where we're assigned to work.

"Class, as you know, today is Graduation. Today is the day you all move forward in your lives, and become the Rangers, Operators, Mechanics and Scientists you have been striving to become!" Her somber look was quickly replaced with happiness and a tinge of excitement. "Now isn't a time to be sad, but proud of yourselves! I am so proud of you all, and I'm proud to have called you all my pupils!" I beamed at her. I was excited, yet incredibly nervous. My family had told me they planned to move out of Fiore and be in Almia by the time I graduate, and as I picked up the envelope sitting before me, I stopped to think for a moment. Wouldn't it be funny if I happened to be assigned to a Ranger Base in Fiore?

I glanced to either side of myself. Across the wider walkway, Rhythmi was pretty dissolved in her conversation. To my right, closer to me, Keith was inspecting his Ranger Base assignment paper. I figured I may as well open my own.

As I slipped the paper out of the envelope, I glanced to my right again. Keith was either using his paper as a distraction tool or kept reading it. I wondered what was bothering him.

Mine, on the other hand, was simple and kind of happy news.

"Congratulations on finishing your education to become a Pokémon Ranger! We're happy to inform you that out of the several bases that wished for your company, we've chosen for you to be placed in Vientown!

Good Luck, and may you befriend the best Pokémon!

- The Ranger Union"

"So, where'd you get assigned to?" I leaned over to the right, trying to see Keith's letter clearly.

"Ringtown, Fiore." He responded, tone somewhat monotone. "Where are you going?"

"Vientown, actually." My heart dropped. While I'd get to be close to family, I'd be losing close contact with someone I'd grown quite fond of.

"It won't be too bad… My grandparents live in Summerland, actually. And I think my cousins still live in Fall City." I smiled. "Fall City's where I used to live, in fact!" I brought a small smile to Keith's face, but he sighed. I could understand where he was coming from.

"… At least we'll be able to write, right? I might not care for reading, but I'd read it if it meant I could talk to you." I didn't really mean to, but I laughed a lot louder than I should have. Rhythmi even turned around and gave me a look, whereas Keith was startled. I knew he meant it as a sentimental thing, but it just seemed funny to me…

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" I said, wiping my eye of its nonexistent tear.

"You're fine… Just… startled me, is all." Rhythmi appeared between the both of us.

"Where are you two headed? I'm off to Fall City in Fiore."

"That's where I used to live." I said. "I mean, I'm assigned to Vientown, but … I have family there, and in Summerland."

"I'll be in Ringtown." Keith said. "Also in Fiore." Rhythmi looked at Keith, then to me. She put her hand on either one of our backs and brought us a little closer to each other. I leaned back some, moving a little to actually get out of the chair I was sitting in. Keith stayed in his, and I threw my arms around their shoulders.

"While I'll actually get to boss around Rangers like my slaves, it's not going to be the same without you." Rhythmi said, quietly. "Either of you, really. I mean, Keith won't be that far away, but…" She sighed.

"Hey now, we'll write." I said. "I'll be sure to send them as often as I can. Maybe we'll all find some off time and meet up somewhere."

"That would be nice." Keith commented. He left our circle of arms only to get out of his chair and join it again. We all moved a little closer, putting our arms around each other's shoulders, and we brought our heads together. I closed my eyes – I don't know about the others, but I found it comforting.

We stood there for awhile. No one cared to bother us.

:lll:

Eventually, we all made it out to the main hall in time for the ceremony. Isaac prepared a lovely speech – having been picked up by Altru Inc., it was no surprise. I nudged Rhythmi every time he'd give a glance in her direction. She didn't appreciate it, but the smile that decorated her face was evident that she liked it as well.

Ms. April moved to declare the name of the Class Representative. Everyone had voted on this, and I was sure the vote was cast in favor of Keith. Rhythmi had said she'd voted that way, and I had as well.

"Now, I'd like to call upon one special student as a Representative of this graduating class…" I looked to Keith, wanting to see the look on his face when he was called. "… Kate, you please step forward?" He turned to me, and I stood there, incredibly surprised.

"Look at that, Katie. You're the Representative."

As soon as he said that, a huge crash came from Kincaid's lab in the basement. Kincaid left the stage in frenzy, and before long, Tangrowth emerged from the lab. The immediate reaction was to run away, though Keith and I stopped halfway and turned to face each other.

"Wanna enter Fiore with "saving my Ranger School Graduates from rampaging Tangrowth" to your Ranger record?" I yelled.

"We won't get to if you keep talking!" I turned toward the angry Tangrowth, and stopped to take a breath. Within a flash, I entered a zone. Everything quieted down, slowed down, and I was calm and composed. This was it.

"Capture on!" I said, the capture disc looping faster and faster around the Tangrowth.

It didn't take too long to capture and release the angry thing. When we were done, the class cheered for us, and my certificate was conferred. After that, well, there was nothing. We had gone through Ranger School together, all of us as comrades, and we spent our final moments together.

The only thing left was to go to my new home, in a place called Chicole Village. I'd said my goodbyes that morning, and as I turned in my School Styler and walked out of the building, it took all that I had to not cry. I'd grown attached enough to the people and the Pokémon that I hadn't realized how little of the outside I'd actually seen since moving to Almia. It all hit me right then, as I began descending the steps-.

"Kate, wait up!" Again, Keith's voice disrupted me from my thoughts. There's another thing I would miss, his voice. He ran towards me, and the only thing I focused on was suppressing the urge to cry. _Don't do it, Kate. Don't even think about it. Don't do it. Don't do it-. Nope, you've failed. There goes the dam._

"Oh, Katie, don't cry…" Keith had caught up to me by now, and pulled me in for a hug. "I haven't seen you cry at all, it's a shame to see it now…"

"I'm being emotional over something silly…" I said into his jacket.

"You're not being emotional over something silly…" I sniffled. "In fact, I'm pretty sure you and I could have been twins this morning…" Keith admitted.

"That doesn't make me feel any better…" Tears were streaming down my face, and this was really something I didn't want to happen. Here we were, on the stairs leading up to the Ranger School, and I'm sobbing. _Get a grip on yourself, Kate._

He rubbed my back, and dragged me down to the bottom of the stairs. No one was there when we got there, but I sat on the ground and tried to compose myself, continually wiping my face off with my sleeves. This plan didn't quite work out, but after some deep breathing, I managed to get a hold of myself.

"Say, didn't you say your family was moving out here? To Chicole Village, I think?" I nodded, and he helped me up. "Well, then, I'll walk you home."

He kept through his promise, and we walked to Chicole Village rather slowly – mainly because I'd never seen anything outside of the Ranger School Island, and because spending my final moments with Keith would be nice before he left for Fiore. Though, once we entered the actual village, I had no idea where the house was. Keith, on the other hand, had an idea, and he walked me to the side of the house without windows.

"Katie, I'd love to stay, but…" his voice wavered only slightly. "I should probably get going, and go see my own parents…" He looked at me, and the tears I'd just gotten rid of were threatening to make their reappearance. Keith himself didn't look as sturdy and unshakeable as he once did.

I grabbed him, and pulled him a little closer, and just held onto him. I wrapped my arms around him. There was a lump in my throat, and I was afraid if I said anything, I'd burst into tears. He didn't seem to object, and we kind of just held each other for a few moments. Then, he pulled back, and I assumed he was going to walk away.

Instead, he put his face really close to mine. His voice was shaking, but he made it clear that there are some things he wished he could have mustered up the courage to say or do while we were still enjoying school life instead of choosing just as we've left Ranger School.

I'd already figured out what he was hinting at, and at the hot mess state I was in, I was surprised more than anything.

He gently stroked my cheekbone before leaning in further, gently placing his lips on mine. It was nothing spectacular, but I felt my hand search for his, and I clasped my fingers with his. Then, when he pulled back, I let them slip away from me. Watching him have to walk away was absolutely painful, and I didn't think to stop the dam that was soon to overflow.

As soon as I walked into my house and saw my family for the first time since moving to Almia, I knew we'd all do the same.


	7. All of the nice scenery

_Author's Note: I apologize for the delay, I was having a bad time brainstorming on lack of brainpower. It isn't even finals week and I'm crammed with homework. Ughhhh._

_To recap, Chapters 1 - 6 are all Ranger School, Chapter 1 being First Day, Chapter 3 being Outdoor Class, Chapter 4 as One - Day Internships, and Chapter 6 as Graduation. _

* * *

The nice thing about working in Vientown, aside from the friendly and upbeat atmosphere, is just how close Chicole Village is. Barlow really prefers that we stay at the Ranger Base overnight, though on less hectic days, he would let me bunk down in my own house. That is, so long as I was up and back before everyone else in the Base woke up.

My first week as a Ranger was pretty interesting in itself – Crawford and I had gone on a few Vien Tribune deliveries, and along the way we ended up discovering a strange Pokémon controlling device in the cave at Nabiki Beach. I hadn't heard or received anything from Keith or Rhythmi, but I assumed no news was good news.

Even better, the Pachirisu I'd met on my One-Day Internship had become my Partner Pokémon! Barlow had teased me at first about releasing the poor thing, but afterwards officially granted me the power to have a Partner Pokémon. The gesture felt almost has a confirmation of becoming a real Ranger.

Since the discovery of the Pokémon Hypnosis Unit, (that was the temporary name, given by Luana) Barlow had sent out for Prof. Hastings of the Ranger Union, and between the discovery time and the time Prof. Hastings would show up, I had almost nothing to do. The Ranger Union hadn't registered any quests, there were no missions, and patrolling wasn't fun when there was nothing to do. Crawford would try and pass the time with jokes, but nothing seemed to work to make the flow move faster.

"Hey, you've got time, right?" I'd been sitting on the floor in the Ranger Base. I looked up at the owner of the voice – who, coincidentally, was Crawford. I motioned to the area around me – I'd just come back from a meaningless patrol to see that no headway had really been made with the Pokémon Hypnosis Unit or Prof. Hastings. He helped me up, and with clearance from Barlow, we left the Base.

"What possessed you to bring me out of boredom?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"I've got some places I think you'd like to see." My eyes lit up.

"You mean, I'll actually get to go outside of the Vien Forest?" Crawford chuckled.

"Only slightly – the place I actually want to take you is in the Vien Forest." He shrugged. "You just have to go a little out of the way to get there." It wasn't so much I cared about where we were going; I cared more about the fact I actually would get to see Almia beyond the Vien Forest for once.

Crawford made a few attempts to start a conversation, but I was too busy noticing and taking in my surroundings and Pokémon. We made more than a few stops so I could fill up my browser with various Pokémon. Crawford would only roll his eyes.

I could see a small town in the distance before Crawford grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the river. I honestly thought he was going to throw me in for a second before I saw a Floatzel – which, I'd never seen one before in my life – hopped into the water, and Crawford hopped onto its back.

"There's only one Floatzel around here. You'll just have to ride with me." I looked at the space left on the floating Floatzel. There didn't appear to be much, but I kind of waded into the water and sat on it, trying to mimic Crawford. It went much faster than I anticipated, and I clutched onto Crawford.

We zoomed past a small island with a bridge, and we got off of the Floatzel at a different dock on the way down. The area had a small clustering of trees, and appeared to go in either direction of me. I could hear a Leafeon, a Shiftry, and the unique cries of Kricketune.

"… I think I'm going to have a bruise for about a week, Kate. Your grip is pretty strong…" I flushed with embarrassment.

He led me around, and we came across a different area with patches of extremely tall grass, and the Luxio refused to leave me alone. We picked some berries (I ended up feeding most of mine to the pestering Luxio) and ended up just dipping our feet into the river.

"Kate, I wanna ask you about your friend. Keith." I looked at Crawford, my eyebrows raised.

"Sure, fire away."

"He was stationed in Fiore, right?" I nodded. "Do you know where?"

"Rrr…" I paused to think for a second. "Ringtown…? I think that was it… Ringtown…" I drummed my fingers on the ground. "Ringtown, that sounds right." I said, nodding slowly. It hadn't been a full week and I'd already almost forgotten where my best friend was stationed as a Ranger. Crawford exhaled.

"That's good; he'll have some really good Rangers to work with. Lunick and Solana are among some of the best Rangers I've ever met… I'm surprised they aren't Top Rangers, truthfully." He punched my arm. "You could have some stiff competition!" I laughed lightly – Barlow had said himself that I was the "star rookie" of the team, and I surprised everyone with my capture competency. I guess it had never been something for me to measure.

"Maybe. I'm sure I'll do better." I scrunched my nose. "He might've beaten me in a competition the first day of school, but I'm sure I can kick his butt." Crawford smiled.

"How often do you think about him?" I'd been swishing my feet around, but I stopped. I looked at him.

"Where… did that come from?" He flashed a grin at me and smiled.

"I'm just curious. That's all." He chuckled. "You two seemed to be _quite_ the lovebirds, after all." I could feel the blood rushing to my face. "Trust me, at the Ranger Base, we've heard about some of your escapades. Especially the one about how you two came back pretty close to morning from somewhere that wasn't in your dorms… Hehehe, I think you should count yourself extremely lucky you weren't caught by Ms. April for that!" He laughed, and I covered my mouth with my hand. "Another favorite story of mine is how you two fell asleep on each other in the library-."

"H-How do you even know these things?" I spat out my words a little, and I was beyond embarrassed.

"Luana's younger sister was actually in your graduating class. She was stationed in Oblivia as an Operator, but, man… She'd come back with some pretty great things to say…" He was trying his hardest to not laugh at the face I was making, so I turned away from him.

"It makes me sad, so I try not to think of him so much."

"Hmm? What did you say? I didn't hear anything you just said." I turned back to him. He was still suppressing laughter, but not nearly as noticeably.

"I said, it makes me kind of sad to think about him. So, I try not to do it as much." I repeated, in a louder voice. He made a noise in response, but anything he was going to say was cut off by Barlow's voice coming in over Voicemail, saying Prof. Hastings had showed up, so it would be wise to come back as fast as we could. This time, I caught a Floatzel as well, though there were two, and Crawford showed me a shortcut to get back to Vientown fairly quickly.

It felt like it hadn't been much time, but Crawford taking me places had killed enough time for something interesting to finally happen. In this case, my interesting take from this was the discovery of a small black shard and a formal invitation to the Ranger Union to destroy one of these things. It seemed pretty fun, and I couldn't wait.


End file.
